I'm a 50-ish-something birthmother of 4. But many more are the children of my heart. Child of God. Married forever. Ministry assistant. Independent contractor. Wanting, more than anything, to be fully alive in God, and fully in the center of His will.

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Random Dozen 9.9.09

1. What is something that you have changed your mind about either recently or over a number of years? Hmm…tattoos. I don’t think they are nearly as creepy as I used to. Secretly, I kind of admire them, but would be afraid to get one.

2. Choose either subject, but does your a) church b) job feel more like a dental chair experience or an easy chair (recliner) experience? Hmm…I work at my church. Neither one really describes it. Maybe more like a controlled cyclone? Controlled most of the time, anyway.

3. Kisses or hugs? I actually typed "huts," which might have been a more interesting question. Usually hugs. Have an old friend (male) ALWAYS greets me with a kiss. Never fails to creepy me out a little.

4. What do you think is the biggest threat to families today? The acceptance of disrespect towards parents, dads in particular. Man-bashing has become a part of most sitcoms. When we don’t respect the authority that God placed in our homes, everything disintegrates. There has to be one head.

5. A day after you grocery shop, you open a perishable item that is horribly spoiled. Do you take your receipt back to the store to be reimbursed or just throw it away and forget about it? Depends on how much it cost. A $.99 head of lettuce? No. $8 roast? Yes.

6. What personality trait (feel free to address good or bad or both) do you notice yourself adopting from your parents? My dad had little to no patience with little kids. I fight that in myself the older I get. I also have this sour puss thing I get from him. Not easy to disguise when I’m disgusted with something.

7. How many slices of bread do you leave in the bottom of the bag when you throw it away? Two? Three? Just the heel? None? (I really want to know if you eat the heel.) I’ve been known to make a pbj turning the heel inside out, if I’m desperate. But usually, they get tossed out. (both heels)

8. What mispronunciation or usage error really irritates you? When someone says, “I could care less.” This indicates the person has SOME degree of concern. What they really mean to say is, “I couldn’t care less.”

9. In honor of the uniqueness of today's date, what does the numeral 9 mean to you? (Any special life moments attached to the 9th? Are you the 9th kid in your family? Can you count by 9s really fast? etc.) My dad (a banker) taught me that if I list 0-9 vertically in ascending order in one column and then descending in another column, I would end up with multiples of 9 through the number 10. It helped me teach the times tables to my kids:

0-9:1-8 (x2)2-7 (x3)3-6 (x4) etc….4-55-46-37-28-19-0

10. Does the general color palette in your closet match the colors you chose to decorate your home with? Yes mostly…strong colors, heavy on earthy tones.

11. When you're hanging out with friends in the kitchen, do you automatically ask to help, or do you sit there and chat until the host asks if you'd like to help? I'm not implying that the 2nd choice stems from rudeness or laziness, just not a first-response like it is for some people. I always help. I feel awkward if someone else is doing something and I’m not. Martha-Martha-Martha!

12. Let's end on a pleasant note: What do you enjoy about September the most? My daughter’s and husband’s birthdays, the smell of green chile roasting. Not having to wear a coat, but not sweating too much!Thanks for participating!

Good answers! I'm queasy about that whole tattoo thing...and I love your #4. That troubles me as well, and yet (if you look at my answers), I found the disrespect level higher in a parochial school setting than with my kids in public school...if God's people don't model it for their kids . . . where do we go from there?

I recently came accross your blog and have been reading along. I thought I would leave my first comment. I dont know what to say except that I have enjoyed reading. Nice blog. I will keep visiting this blog very often.

About Me

Why Alert and Oriented x 4?
When someone is ill or injured, medical professionals evaluate them as to their Orientation by determining if the patient can state their name, the day or date, where they are, and the purpose. This is documented as oriented times 4. I generally know who I am, where I am and what day it is, but am sometimes at a loss as to my purpose. God always reminds me that I DO have one. I want to be aware ALL WAYS of the beautiful world that God has created and placed me in. Also, I have 4 kids, so...